HEART HOSPITAL

Young Hearts For Life

The Young Hearts for Life® Cardiac Screening Program, a partnership between Midwest Heart Foundation and SwedishAmerican Holistic Health Services, brings qualified medical volunteers to Winnebago and Boone county high schools to provide free electrocardiograms (ECGs) to identify high school students at risk for sudden cardiac death.

The ECG can help to detect potentially life threatening heart conditions such as Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM, the leading cause of death in young athletes), Long QT syndrome, Brugada syndrome, and ARVD.

Since 2006, Midwest Heart Foundation, under the guidance of Dr. Joseph Marek, in collaboration with high schools, community hospitals and volunteers has provided free ECG screenings to more than 50,000 high school students. Screenings are held at the Heart Hospital at SwedishAmerican, located at Charles and 10th Streets in Rockford and SwedishAmerican Medical Center/Belvidere, 1625 South State Street in Belvidere.

Facts at a Glance

More than 7,000 young people under 18 years of age die from undetected heart conditions each year.

Young athletes suffer sudden cardiac death at a rate two to three times as high as their less active peers. In the Untied States 20 million teenagers participate in athletics.

HCM is the most common cause of sudden cardiac death in young adults comprising more than one-third of cases.

HCM is a genetic abnormality present in approximately one in 500 people. It enlarges the left ventricle of the heart, which can trigger fatal heart rhythm disturbances particularly during exercise.

Approximately 40% of young adults at risk for sudden death may be detected with an ECG.

Registration and Results

To register your son or daughter for the Young Hearts for Life® Cardiac Screening Program, please call SwedishAmerican Holistic Health Services at (815) 961-2030 Ext. 2894 or visit http://www.midwestheart.org and click the Online Registration Link.

The results from the screening will be sent to you via an email notification approximately 3 to 4 weeks after the screening. All screening results are confidential and communicated through a secure system.